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Lil Durk doesn't want to be the last rapper to collab with Morgan Wallen ... he's encouraging Kendrick Lamar and others to work with him too, telling us Morgan's no racist.

We got Lil Durk Tuesday on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills and asked him if Kendrick should get in the studio with Morgan, less than a year after the country superstar was seen using the n-word in public.

Lil Durk vouches for Morgan and says they had a long talk about the controversy while they were working together on their new hit single, "Broadway Girls."

Morgan's not hiding the fact he wants to work with other rappers like Kendrick ... and Lil Durk says the 2 giants of their genres should definitely link up ASAP.

As you know ... TMZ obtained video back in February, shot by one of Morgan's neighbors, showing him using the n-word after a drunken night out with friends. Backlash from the industry came swiftly, as the country singer was banned from award shows and radio stations stopped spinning his tunes.

Radio stations are starting to play Morgan again, and Lil Durk believes it's all water under the bridge now. BTW, he wouldn't have any talk about the c-word -- canceled -- as it applies to his new friend.

Check out Durk's full comments ... it's a strong stamp of approval from him.

Jason Derulo has a zero-tolerance policy for being mistaken for another R&B superstar -- so much so, he attacked 2 guys at a Las Vegas hotel for calling him ... Usher.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ... cops were called to the ARIA hotel during the early hours of Tuesday morning after Derulo threw fists with the men.

Eyewitnesses tell us Derulo and one of the men were passing each other on an escalator when the guy seemed to troll Derulo by yelling, "Hey, Usher! F*** you, bitch!!!" That's when Derulo got pissed and punched him right in the face, sending the dude to the floor.

It didn't end there ... Jason allegedly also slapped the second guy moments later, and security had to step in to break up the scrum. You can see part of the fight in the video ... even though Jason was walking with a large dude, perhaps his bodyguard ... he still charged directly at the guys after the Usher line.

At the time, the 2 victims did not want to press charges, but there's always the possibility of a lawsuit. Either way, they have up to one year to change their minds and move forward with charges. Jason did get a trespassing notice from ARIA, and was removed from the property.

Spice wants to show women how much can be accomplished on their own, and tells us making Grammy history with her debut album is a big step toward that goal.

The Queen of Dancehall is one of 2 female dancehall artists -- the other being Etana -- to be nominated for Best Reggae Album. That's a first for the Grammys, and on Tuesday's "TMZ Live" she told us about her rags to riches tale ... in life and the industry.

The title of her nominated album is "10" -- fitting because she says, "For the past 10 years I've managed myself. I've been my own record label, my stylist and everything, so I'm just super gleeful and excited."

Spice tells us she wants to show people it is possible to make dreams a reality ... "When one door closes you can open another one," she says.

This has been a huge year for the dancehall artist and "Love & Hip-Hop Atlanta" star.

She released her hit album back in August ... and a large part of that success came from the lead single, "Go Down Deh" ft. Shaggy and Sean Paul.

Folks in the music scene aren't the only ones who agree either. Just last month, the song even made it to former Prez Obama's 2021 playlist.

Spice says her slogan is "from homeless to greatness," and indeed she is living that out ... she told us she just bought a home in ATL and she has been doing extremely well for herself.

Big Daddy Weave's Jason "Jay" Weaver is dead after suffering complications from COVID-19.

In a heartfelt message on Instagram his brother and fellow band member, Mike, shared the tragic news ... "I'm sorry to bring this news, but I am excited to celebrate where he is right now. My brother Jay went to be with Jesus just a couple hours ago."

Jay was a bass player and vocalist for the Christian band and had a history of health complications. Back in 2016, he was rushed to the hospital and had to get both feet amputated to fight an infection in his body.

In his message, Mike thanked everyone for their prayers and support for his late brother throughout his battles with his health ... "you've seen him walk the uphill battle and you guys helped carry him through so much."

"Even though COVID took his last breath, Jesus was right there to catch him," he said.

Big Daddy Weave started in 1998, dropping their first album in 2001 and touring with big hits in the Christian music scene ever since.

Mike talked about his brother's impact -- "The Lord used him in such a mighty way out on the road for many years."

He says their family will deal with the heartache "as it comes" but for now, they are turning to their faith to celebrate Jay ... "The prayers of healing can now turn into prayers of thanksgiving now that Jay is in God's presence."

Jay was 42.

Traxamillion -- a Bay Area hip-hop producer who was instrumental to the hyphy movement -- has reportedly died.

The blog account Thizzler On The Roof broke the story, writing ... "Rest In Peace @traxamillion The San Jose producer who helped create the "Hyphy" sound passed away today. This is a huge loss for Northern California We send our condolences to his family & loved ones. #RIPTraxamillion."

No info was provided on the circumstances of his death, or where he may have passed exactly. We're working to confirm the news. With that said, this appears to have been sudden -- because the guy was posting on social media regularly prior to this.

In any case ... Traxamillion certainly left his mark on the area and the local culture, which went well beyond the Bay as far as music is concerned. During the mid-to-late 2000s, the hyphy movement was worldwide ... and Trax was a seminal part in forming the sound.

Some of the notable songs he's produced ... Keak Da Sneak's "Super Hyphy" and "On Citas," Mistah F.A.B.'s "Sideshow" and "Da Yellow Bus," The Pack's "Club Stuntin," Izz Thizz's "Gas, Skrape," The Jacka's "From the Hood," Dem Hoodstarz's "Grown Man Remix" ... and many others.

Trax will perhaps best be remembered for his compilation album "The Slapp Addict," which featured a number of Bay Area artists ... including legends like Clyde Carson, Turf Talk, San Quinn, Zion I, as well as many of the above-mentioned rappers.

He's also worked with the likes of E-40, City Girls, Paul Wall, Yukmouth, Andre Nickatina, Mac Dre, Messy Marv, Joyner Lucas, T.I., Freeway, The Lonely Island ... just to name a few.

He was 43.

Drake doesn't always fly on a top-tier private jet to get the hell out of Dodge -- sometimes he's gotta settle for what's around ... which was the case for him in St. Barts this weekend.

The rapper hit the Gustaf III Airport in the village of St. Jean Saturday after partying the night away on the island for New Year's Eve. It was just him and a small entourage he was with -- and in a video obtained by TMZ ... you can see just how small of an airport this was.

The planes here seem to be turboprop ones -- which usually have a single-engine and are meant to go relatively short distances and not very high ... unlike a regular jet.

We're told Drizzy and co. appeared to be heading to a different airport on the island of Saint Martin, which carries larger aircrafts and is meant for rigorous trips. So, in other words ... this was a pitstop on his journey out of the Caribbean.

As you can see ... Drake seemed to be kinda upset about something. A witness tells us there was some sort of confusion about which plane they were getting on, which apparently got on Drake's nerves a bit.

All good -- who isn't crabby after a long night ... which is certainly what Drake and friends experienced less than 12 hours before this was shot. Dude was on a yacht ... naturally.

Word is, St. Barts was the place to be for New Year's -- there were sightings with big names over the past several days ... including folks like Leonardo DiCaprio, Dua Lipa, Mike Tyson and even Jake Paul, who actually posed with Drake on the vessel.

This is sure to kick up some dust among hip-hop heads -- just a year after learning of MF DOOM's death, it would seem the internet has decided that 50 Cent is ... well, greater.

You might've seen DOOM trending Saturday, and that's largely 'cause it's been 365 days since the world found out the enigmatic MC -- who was legendary in the underground scene throughout the 2000s -- tragically had passed away on Halloween 2020, this per his widow.

But that's not the only reason folks were talking about him -- some Twitter users appear to be fiercely debating who the better artist is between MFD and the one and only Fitty ... this after somebody held a rap G.O.A.T. tournament bracket -- and asked who'd beat who.

The OG poster of the bracket/poll says ... "First hot take of the year: In terms of greatness: 50 cent > MF Doom." They tweeted this in response to people being dumbfounded that 50 had overtaken DOOM in a head to head ... taking 70% of the vote out of about 100 people.

The reactions ... very mixed, and very polarized. On the one hand -- some simply won't accept that 50 Cent is the better rapper between the two ... noting DOOM is by far the superior lyricist, rhymer, beat selector and all-around creative if you look at 'em bar for bar.

On the other hand -- it seems even more people say he actually is ... on account that 50's got waaaay more mainstream hits than DOOM -- and has more name recognition. Not to mention his skills ... he, too, is solid on the mic.

While hardcore fans choose sides ... there's another take that's perhaps more nuanced. Fact is ... these 2 guys are totally different stylistically, and comparing them is ... weird. They're both great in their own right, especially depending on what you might wanna listen to!

FWIW ... 50 didn't seem to respond to the news about DOOM's passing last year (RIP, BTW), but he did respond to Eminem's homage to fallen legends (including MF) just earlier this year ... and seemed to dig the fact he'd gotten name dropped in the tribute.

Plus, they're both New York cats ... so ya gotta figure 50 knows about DOOM. After all, the guy's earned the title of your favorite rapper's favorite rapper -- he's that iconic/influential.

With all that said -- we gotta pose the question for those who know both of these fellas' music well and might have something to say ... does 50 Cent actually have MF DOOM's number in a would-be Verzuz???

Paul McCartney is filtering out bad vibes in 2022, and ushering in wacky fun ... and he's doing it with the help of a new group he's discovered that may rival his old ensemble.

This Beatle is ringing in the new year by introducing the masses to a band he says he stumbled upon at his NYE bash ... which goes by the name of Linstrom. They're a heavy metal folk music act, consisting of 4 artists with very different faces ... and a boozy manager.

As you can probably tell -- they're all PMC, who seems to have discovered Instagram's many facial filters ... and is going to town with them.

Check it out ... Paul trots out his made-up band members, including Olga (apparently the frontwoman), an angelic anonymous keyboardist, Trinket the bass player, Mac the boorish boar-ish drummer and one final guy who says he handles the business end of things.

He's obviously having a grand old time with the goofy in-app feature ... almost like he's a freakin' kid again.

In real music news, Paul had himself quite a year ... and was eager to recap it on Friday. He put out an album, a couple books and was featured in a couple big documentaries -- plus other stuff, too.

Miley Cyrus' wardrobe malfunctioned during her New Year's Eve TV special, but she figured out a way to keep the party going as she regrouped ... but just barely!

She was singing "Party in the U.S.A." when her top was barely hanging on by a thread and she had to clutch it to ward off an FCC disaster. Miley sauntered backstage as the band played on, and then returned in a red jacket.

“Everybody’s definitely looking at me now,” Cyrus said, adding, “I’m still in the most clothes that I’ve ever worn on stage."

You'd think the jacket would solve the problem, but far from it. Later, after "Party," Saweetie joined Miley on stage and the unbuttoned jacket almost revealed too much for S&P.

Pete Davidson, Miley's co-host, decided to show some sympathy later in the show by lifting his tee, revealing a nipple ... which the crowd loved!

It was actually a tough night ... some of the musical acts bowed out because of COVID. Miley addressed it at the end of the show, saying, "Tonight's show was all about being flexible, rolling with the punches, and making the best out of even the worst circumstances." She went on ... "Let's bring that into the New Year with us."

Kenny Chesney just unloaded his HUGE home in the Nashville area for $11.5 mil ... and that price comes at a huge discount.

The country singer originally listed the 4 bedroom, 9 bath home for $13.9M, but apparently it just sat, in the middle of a housing boom no less.

Despite the fact the house didn't move at its original price, Kenny scored a hefty profit. He bought the property back in 2009 for $9.25 mil.

The property is 56 acres in Franklin, TN, with the main house just under 12,600 sq ft.

The new owner will have no parking problems, with a 10-car garage -- unless the buyer's Jerry Seinfeld or Jay Leno. It also has a home theatre, infinity swimming pool, spa, limestone fireplaces and other bells and whistles.

COVID is derailing the best-laid plans of New Year's Eve ... because some big bands have just pulled the plug.

CBS's "New Year's Eve Live: Nashville's Big Bash" will air minus the Zac Brown Band, because Zac tested positive.

Sam Hunt and Elle King have also pulled out, citing COVID-19 protocols, organizers told The Tennessean.

As for Zac, he said, "To Our Fans, We are deeply disappointed to share that Zac Brown Band will no longer be performing at Nashville's Big Bash tomorrow night on CBS," adding, "Despite taking precautions, I've tested positive for COVID-19."

Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton and countless other country stars are still scheduled to perform and keep the good vibes rolling into 2022!

Apparently, buyers like the thought of sharing the same living space once inhabited by Hollywood and political legends ... because Bing Crosby's former estate has attracted offers like bees on honey.

Crosby's pad in Rancho Mirage was listed this week, and agent David Emerson of Compass says interest has been intense ... with a dozen calls a day for the property, and of those ... around 15 real buyers, some of whom have already seen it.

We're told those who have shown interest run the spectrum -- from celebs to wealthy CEO's -- and people all around the world.

The estate is listed at $4.5 million and has hosted the likes of John F. Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe. In fact, there's a guest house called the "JFK Wing" where he used to stay on the down low with MM, with 2-bedrooms, 2-bathrooms, plus a full kitchen and living room.

In all, the place has 5-bedrooms, 6,700 sq feet of living space, a giant pool, movie theater, 1.36 acres to spread out on and stunning views.

So, you don't want to get the COVID vaccine because you don't trust the science ... well, here's an incentive -- you get the shot, you get to keep your hair.

Singer Ava Max says she's suffered hair loss after contracting COVID. She posted a vid Wednesday night, saying, "Baby hairs Comin THRU. "Also so so happy my hair is growing back. I lost a lot of hair when I had COVID last year!! :( "

Turns out ... the "My Head & My Heart" singer isn't making this up. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, hair loss is a consequence of the virus.

To be specific, the Academy says high fever from various illnesses, including COVID, can result in "noticeable hair loss."

It's actually not technically hair loss -- it's hair shedding. It typically begins 2 to 3 months after the fever subsides. Clumps of hair can come out after showering or brushing, and it can last for as long as 9 months before it stops.

The man formerly known as Kanye West appears to be trying to fit in as much travel time as he can before year's end ... most recently hitting Belize with his good buddy J Prince.

Ye touched down in Central America Wednesday, and was pictured at the Philip S.W Goldson International Airport posing with Prince. Unclear if Kanye's there for work, pleasure or both ... but J Prince owns an island down there, so there should be plenty of space to relax.

It's unclear if Ye and J arrived together, or if Kanye flew out to meet his friend, but the two have certainly collabed a lot lately.

Remember, it was J Prince who played a pivotal part in bringing Kanye and Drake together for the Free Larry Hoover show in Los Angeles earlier this month. The show was a huge success, bringing over 70,000 people to the L.A. Coliseum and bringing the rappers together as friends again.

No word on if Drake has any plans to hit Belize, but obviously another reunion is no longer out of the question.

Katy Perry is the queen of hip hops ... because she opened her Vegas residency with her own brew ... and you gotta see how she did it!

Katy was performing Wednesday night at Resorts World when she started yapping with a giant COVID mask about this and that ... and then had a hankering for a beer.

So, the 37-year-old mother of 1 was super resourceful, using the can attached to her dress to lactate a glass of Corona, and the crowd loved it.

At one point during the show, Katy popped out of a neon toilet.

It's interesting that Katy actually made COVID a theme in the concert, as you can see from the video.

She'll be doing 32 shows through March of next year. She'll also receive a Queen's ransom for her efforts ... reportedly $168 mil! It's not unprecedented ... Celine Dion and J Lo also made a fortune during their residencies in Sin City.

Simon Cowell quietly tried to save the life of Il Divo singer Carlos Marin ... by offering him a private jet so he could get treatment for COVID.

Simon's not the person who made this public ... it was Carlos' wife, Geraldine Larrosa, who told a Spanish outlet, "Simon personally phoned the hospital and offered to help with anything."

Geraldine says Simon offered to fly Carlos to Spain for some sort of treatment ... treatment that presumably was not available at Manchester Royal Hospital where he was fighting for his life.

Carlos' case was so severe, he had to be intubated. He died on December 19 at the age of 53.